Throwing machines, also referred to as “pitching machines,” may be used to throw or project a ball or other object towards a user for various purposes, such as baseball or softball batting practice, or tennis practice. A throwing machine may include a tire that may be spun (e.g., with an electronic or gasoline motor) so that a ball brought into contact with the spinning tire is launched as a result of friction between the ball and a surface of the tire. In many instances the tire may include pitching surface with a high friction rate, so that a ball or other projectile brought into contact with the pitching surface will be carried with the pitching surface.
Many conventional throwing machine tires are made of solid rubber. Some tires are rounded, similar to tires that might be found on a bicycle, go-cart or motorcycle. Yet other tires are formed to be somewhat concave. A rounded tire may have a relatively small area of contact with a ball and may not have reinforced sidewalls. A relatively small area of contact with the ball afforded by a rounded tire may lead to less accurate, more inconsistent throws than a tire with a larger contact area.